Another Wi-Fi Hitchhiker Arrested

Poor Sam Peterson was just sitting in his car outside a coffee shop, snagging some Wi-Fi time with his laptop before heading to the office. He did the same thing every day, taking advantage of the free wireless access the Union Street Cafe offered, but sadly he didn't make a purchase.

Peterson was arrested under Michigan's "Fraudulent access to computers, computer systems, and computer networks" law. His punishment: A $400 fine and 40 hours of community service instead of the whopping five years in prison and 10 grand in fines that the law allows for.

I don't condone Peterson using the access (especially every day) without buying something from the store, but there's something to his excuse that he honestly didn't know he was doing anything wrong. In fact, the arresting officer didn't know he was breaking the law, either, saying, "I had a feeling a law was being broken, but I didn't know exactly what." If our laws are so convoluted that the officers enforcing them can't keep them straight, don't we have a problem?

Cases like Petersons are on the rise, invariably involving a guy using someone else's Wi-Fi while sitting in his car. Anyone see a pattern emerging?

LINK: Michigan man arrested for using cafe's free WiFi from his car